CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor walked through the gates of Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, looked down at the field and saw some of his country's baseball heroes. Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez was there, as were slugger Carlos Delgado and Bernie Williams. They had traded their Major League uniforms for ones with "Puerto Rico" stitched across the chest.
A 12-year-old Lindor and one of his cousins took in a handful of World Baseball Classic games during the tournament's 2006 debut. Lindor had big league dreams back then, of course, but couldn't yet ponder what it would be like to suit up for his country.